Have you ever wondered why some places just always seem to be a success. Being a child of the Carolinas, college basketball has always been a huge thing. Whether you are a Tar Heel fan, or a Duke Blue Devil fan one thing is for certain, winning is the norm. If you think about certain companies, churches, even areas of the country you can start to see that producing success, or failure can be a habitual occurrence. As I have traveled to visit and speak at different areas of the country, different companies, and organizations it has become very apparent that culture, or the environment within the organization is profoundly responsible for the success that is experienced. Here are 5 keys to creating a successful environment.
1. Decide what you are going to be, a thermostat, or a thermometer.
For many it never has occurred that they can control the environment that they live in. You don’t have to be simply a read out of what you live in, but have been given the ability through your passion, skill set, talent, and gifting to control the environment. Establishing a few things within the way you think will go a long way in empowering you to start making the proper adjustments to change your environment:
a. You work where you work because you decided to. If it is not where you want to be you can change, and should.
b. You live where you live because you decided to. If it is not where you want to live, you can move. You may not currently have the resources to, but you can start making plans now. With planing you can then start taking action to make the desired change a reality.
c. You are around the people you are around because you’ve chosen to be.
d. You make what you make because you’ve chosen to. Money comes from actions we take. The actions we take are based on the decisions we make. The decisions we make are based on what believe. All this means deducted down to the most basic principle is this, what you receive is directly tied to what you believe.
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2. Control & Manage Expectations
You are not great at everything, nor are you bad at everything. A healthy self-awareness can go a long way in helping you build upon your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. The same is true for an organization too. Some companies are great in one area and weak in others. Knowing this, and embracing this will make the environment a much healthier one, and lead to a culture that produces great success. There are 3 key places expectations must be managed.
a. Your own expectations. What you expect from yourself, your company, and your clients must be managed. Too many times undue frustration is experienced simply because unwarranted expectations.
b. Your company’s expectations. What your company expects of it’s employees, and clients will go a long way in what kind of environment it will have, and thus the experience the client and employees will have. If you have high expectations for your company, but have employees with no passion, or higher expectations then production will suffer.
c. Managing client expectations is key to having a successful business. Let’s face it, in a world Wal-Mart, Microwaves, Cell Phones, and ___ on demand clients are conditioned to have what they want now. The key to creating a successful customer experience is understanding, and addressing that immediately.
3. Don’t think positive, but be positive
I’m all for positive thinking, but the problem with many people who subscribe to this philosophy is denial. Any mindset that ask you to ignore reality, not to address a problem, and only concentrate on the potential, the possibility, and the positive is a set up failure. I’ve never see a person, business, or organization succeed that didn’t recognize first its challenges. That’s not to say you stay in the shadows, but rather you acknowledge them in order to contextualize them with plans to achieve and overcome. Making a positive impact on yourself, your business, and your clients is not a matter of thinking, but being positive.
4. Own your brand
This means no matter what business I’m in, no matter company I represent, I am the product, goods, and service. If a company’s conduct does not reflect my values, then they don’t have my endorsement. My website, my marketing, my business is reflective of my brand.
5. Know the circle your in
There are really 3 circle of influences you should alway frequent. To be a success, to create an environment for success, and to have lasting success you should spend time each day in all 3.
1. Someone you are bringing up
2. Someone you are with
3. Someone you are reaching for
